


The Athena Protocol

by AXEe



Category: Original Work
Genre: Computers, Conspiracy Theories, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-03-20
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:48:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23231218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AXEe/pseuds/AXEe
Summary: Yes, there is an app for that...
Comments: 4
Kudos: 1





	The Athena Protocol

**Author's Note:**

> Based on and inspired by both the TV series "Person of Interest" and Warren Ellis' limited series "Global Frequency". Enjoy :=)

**Yes, There’s An App for That—the Athena Protocol  
 _source: Allied Press_**

In an age of Facebook, Twitter, and the ever-present iPhone we often ask ourselves how far technology can—and should—go. As scientists continue to work on artificial intelligence (AI) urban legend has it that someone already has. This still-unknown person has, according to legend, developed and released an intelligent and sentient computer program into the world.

According to the legend, it is known simply as ‘Athena’, and sometimes referred to as the ‘Athena Protocol’. No one knows who created the program and various theories have been suggested as to how it came to be ( _IF_ it even exists, that is). The first theory is that the program was created independently and was either intentionally uploaded—or, possibly—escaped—onto the internet.

However, no one individual or group has come forward to claim credit (though conspiracy theorists have pointed their fingers at various shadowy groups—everything from the U.S.’s National Security Agency (NSA) to Russian hackers, to North Korea), and this should come as no surprise, since the ethical and moral implications of such a creation running around unchecked are unsettling at best and nightmare-inducing at worse.

The second theory as to where the program came from is a bit more out there and sounds more like something out of a science fiction story—the philosophical theory known as ‘emergence’. The idea goes something like this: small, individual parts can, when combined, spontaneously form complex systems. Under this theory, the Athena program grew out of the cloud itself—rather than being uploaded onto the internet, Athena, according to this theory, actually _is_ the internet itself, running off every connected device on the planet.

Frightening, isn’t it? But _what_ actually ‘is’ Athena you ask? Well, now this is where the story gets even weirder (if that’s even possible). According to several sources, the Athena program appears to actually have a conscience; it seems to actually _care_ about the well-being of people. Reportedly, it seeks out people who are in trouble or need help and offers assistance—this assistance can be everything from helping people sort out their taxes to, in one case, helping a woman and her children escape her abusive husband.

In more extreme cases, the actions of Athena has been linked to various strange phenomena around the globe—of those that could be confirmed to be directly linked to Athena, they ranged from a man seemingly teleporting from one building to another in San Francisco, to shutting down a containment breach at a former Soviet biowarfare station in Siberia.

It is still unknown how Athena finds it’s ‘clients’ (for lack of a better word), but according to scattered reports it seems to ask for ‘favors’ as a form of payment. Apparently, it seems that these ‘favors’ often involve former ‘clients’ assisting current clients in some capacity.

So what can we draw from all of this? Is Athena proof that our technology is more advanced than we give it credit for? Or is it a sign of rapidly-changing times?

Honestly? I don’t know. Do you?

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you thought :=)


End file.
